Finding someone to compete my horse issues!

greenlivery

greenlivery

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How on earth do I find someone to ride/compete my BSJA mare without ending up with loads of timewasters who are just calling up for a free ride!
I want my mare to stay at home, and for someone to ride/compete her on a regular basis for fun, should I be looking to pay someone to do this for me, or for them to pay me for the pleasure of riding her!? And what kind of fees are 'normal'. When they first go to a show should I be paying the fees? or is it possible to find someone who would be happy to share a decent bsja horse in exchange for having the pleasure of competing her? What about prize money? I'm finding it really hard to work out what people want, so far it sems they just want a free jump on my horse!
I have attempted to advertise before and had so many people who just ended up wasting my time, I don't want my mare to have lots of different riders just 'having a go' on her. Any ideas where and how to advertise to find exactly what I'm looking for?
 
You will find someone but may have to understand they might not be up to that level straight away and will have to get to know the horse. otherwise you may need to pay someone to do it!

sounds like a fab oppurtunity!
 
Where abouts are you? And details of the mare... height etc?
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I can't help but think if you want your horse competed and you are unable to do it yourself, for whatever reason, its probably best to sell her to someone who can recognise her potential (if any) and bring her on for their own purposes.
I have found with every loanee I ve had that most are at best novice or fairweather riders, who will not do you horse much of a service.
Sorry to sound harsh but its so often the case.
If you want someone decent to compete your horse then you will almost certainly have to pay them. The skills of a good equestrienne do not come cheap unless you have friends/offspring with talent and even then its often short -lived.
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Friend of mine rides freelance for a guy who breeds showjumpers - charges for each time he rides the horse at home, each time he goes to a show, the owner pays the entry fees and keeps the prize money. He rides several at the stud each time he goes, which makes it worth him going time-wise and keeps the fee down per horse.

Best is probably word of mouth - helps screen the freeloaders! Where are you?
 
I don't think I'm allowed to advertise on the forum? But in brief; I'm on the East Sussex/Kent border, she is 16hh kwpn dutch warmblood, bsja registered grade c at the moment but jumps must higher level at home. Needs someone to commit to her and I just dont have the time. Its really hard to find a rider to loan/share or whatever term I should use, as so many people just call up to see if they can 'try' her, which is basically a free ride for them! Or its very inexperianced kids with pushy mothers!
 
Oh and have you tried asking at local riding schools... nearly all of them won't be good enough riders but the odd one might be a good rider but just can't have their own for whatever reason
 
Maybe you could go to some local comps as a spectator, and if there is anyone you think looks good and their horse/s go well, you could approach them and ask if they would be interested, or if they know a similar rider that they could recommend?
 
You could try putting a advert in at local equestrian centre's ect. If I didn't have my horrible lot to entertain all season I may have been interested, good luck with finding someone for your horse though, I am sure you will find a rider it might just take a long time
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Also, if there is a Uni near you, ask their riding club. Students have often had to give up their own horses to go to Uni, so could be quite good riders and would appreciate the chance to ride without the costs.
 
Its a gift of an opportunity for someone right

I used to ride show ponies for other people in classes where I didnt enter one of my own, the owner used to pay entry fees and take prize money and I got the rosette, not quite along the same lines obviously but what I think I am trying to say is that a talented rider on the up and up will enjoy the experience especially if they couldnt afford the same quality ride themselves

A professional rider will probably cost you

I agree with the post above that the Pony Club is a good place to start, someone with talent and the confidence to take on big classes is out there and the instructors could tell you who in the club is ripe for such a challenge

In my day there were always members of the pony club whose experience and excellence outshone their horse but the horse was the best they could afford - those who could make the 'milkmans pony' come alive

Also if doing wider advertising I would ask for a written 'application' with details of experience and photos (if necessary) to help you weed out the crud
 
do you have a trainer? or does some one else at your yard have one? best sharer for my would be dressage horse was through my trainer and this person was perfect? I have a friend who competes other peoples horses as well as hers and she is paid for competing and the owner pays the entries, but she is good and "does" her horses well.
 
Thanks for the ideas, most people on the yard are more into dressage so our trainers are dressage based, but I think I will try a more specific advert
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Sounds absolutley perfect for me!
I'm in essex unfortunatley though
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I'd do it for free and you could keep the prize money tbh,
i'd just compete her for my own personal experience and pleasure!
 
Try asking the local Riding Clubs (like Ardingly, Tun Wells, Sevenoaks, Rother Valley) if you can put an Ad on their websites/newsletters too.

Someone from my RC has just started a share on a horse that the owner wants competed but doesn't have the time herself.

I think you've got to decide whether you have the money to pay someone's entries and for them riding your horse, or you want someone to pay YOU.

And then it's either a 'competition rider' or a 'sharer'.
 
I'm currently doing exactely what you are looking for.
I ride the horse most of the time.
Owner paid for horses and their registration (I'm already member).
I pay entry fees but also keep any prize money.
No money changes hands either way.
Works well as owner gets to see her horse out competing and I get a free horse to compete.
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Shame you're not near northampton, I could do with a second horse. Save hanging around so much at comps
 
I definitely think you could find someone to do it for free if you are willing to accept that they will then not be a professional quality rider.
I know a number of people who are still at riding schools because they can't commit the time to a horse of their own, but would be very capable of BSJA standard if they got to ride a capable horse consistently.
University students are also an option, but you would need to be aware that often they go home for the breaks so then might only be available for you during term time.

I would write out a clear list of requirements for the right person (if you only want people over a certain age, then say so, what height do you want the horse to compete? how high do you need them currently to be jumping? would you want someone with prior competition experience? what is the min/max time you would expect them to spend riding her during the week? and how many competitions would you be looking at?)
I think in these situations a lot of people assume that they can't offer what you want, or that it wouldnt be right for them, and are too embarassed to call and find out, so the more specific you can be in the advert, the more confidence you will give people.
Make sure you talk to people on the phone to find out if they sound suitable. As long as you are doing that, there is really no other way to avoid timewasters. Ultimately, you are looking for the right person for a long term committment, and a few evenings wasted and free rides given away seems a reasonable payment for that.
I wouldnt't really expect cash to change hands on the transaction, because I think that you both get something good out of it and if they aren't paying, I think they will be more aware of the fact that they are committing time to you instead and let you down less.
I would expect you to pay for the entry fees as it seems you would be setting the requirementss about how often the horse is entered etc. In return though, you should keep any prize money.
I think that if you got someone who wasn't very experienced at competing at that level though, it would be reasonable to expect them to pay for a certain number of lessons on the horse each month.
 
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